A Spiritual “How to…” Series, (Part 1)
Acts 17:10-11, Deut. 6:6-9
This teaching started a new series that will help to equip us all with the spiritual tools
we need in our toolbelt if we are to grow as followers of Christ.
The first tool we
will consider is how to read the Bible, but before we look at how, we need to ask, “Why
do we need to read the Bible?”
- If we want to know
our place in God’s plan, then we need
to understand his plan. Jesus said to them, “Have
you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders
rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is
marvelous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42)
- If we are going to understand God’s plan then we need an
accurate perspective of the Triune God as he has revealed himself in the
Scriptures.
- If we are going to
have an accurate view of God, and he
has revealed himself to us in the Scriptures, then we need to read the
Scriptures to know him better! But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know
neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)
A “more noble” example encountered in Berea (Acts
17:1-12)
Despite my efforts
to move away from the book of Acts this week, this next passage fits very well
with our study on reading the Bible. Paul and Silas were rejected at
Thessalonica in the first part of Acts 17, having been described as “These men who have turned the world upside down have come
here also…” (v.6). But when they moved on to Berea (about 40
miles away) they received a different response.
The brothers immediately sent Paul
and Silas away by night to Berea,
and when they arrived they went
into the Jewish synagogue.
Now these Jews were more noble
than
those in Thessalonica;
they
received the word with all eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily
to see if these things were so.
Many of them therefore believed,
with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. (v.
10-12)
So
how should we read the Bible?
Here
are a few practical ways for us to read God’s Word…
1. Read it Regularly—Once or twice a
week in church doesn’t count as "regular reading". In Acts 17 we see that the Bereans
received the Word “with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily.” They
didn’t just take someone else’s word for it but studied it out for themselves. Perhaps
you would say that you don’t have time to read the Bible. While it is true that
many of us live very busy lives. let me ask, do you take time to eat every day?
If you don’t eat, what happens?
- You get “hangry”
and
- You get weak
- You make poor
decisions
- You are not much
good to others
The same thing is
true spiritually. This message was preached on Pentecost Sunday, originally the
feast of first fruits (first grain harvest) and then the birth of the church in
Acts 2. Peter pointed people to the OT prophets saying, “this is what was uttered through the
prophet Joel” (Joel 2:28-32) Here are some suggestions:
Meal-time
verses
My Grandparents had a little box with Bible
verses (not just a Promise box) that was for each of us to draw one and read out loud at meal times. Just as our diet should contain vegetables and not just carbs our
reading should include commands and exhortations!
SOAP
Journaling
We have discussed this and
will do so again in the future. For now, it is enough to understand that SOAP
is an acronym for four different elements of Bible journaling.
- S= Scripture. Read a passage, and write out 1-2 verses that stood out to you in your reading.
- O= Observation. This is where
you write what the verse is specifically saying in its context. This is not
where you interpret it, but where you hear what it is saying and to whom.
- A= Application. What are one or
two specific ways you will apply this passage today, this week? How will you be
different from having read this passage?
- P= Prayer. Write a short
prayer that comes out of your interaction with this passage.
Morning/Evening
Devotional reading (just looking to connect with God)
Devotional reading is inherently relational.
It is not reading for any other purpose than to connect with God. Too often we
only turn to the Bible for answers in a crisis, or to prepare to teach a
lesson. But the Bible is a meeting place where we get to draw close to the God
who loves us by affectionately reading what he has written for us.
Reading
a Psalm in the morning & one in the evening.
The psalms give us the vocabulary to praise
the Lord, to pour out our hearts to him in love and faith, but also to ask tough questions and to process our emotions through the character of God.
A
Proverb a day keeps the lawyer away.
Reading Proverbs, one chapter a day can be
very helpful for maintaining wise and healthy relationships with other people.
It can also keep us from succumbing to the pervasive foolishness of our
culture.
Lunchtime
reading
We
believe that the Bible is the Word of God and the Bible says that we should
read it, think about it, and teach it naturally all the time. As it is written,
And these words that I command you today shall be
on your heart. You shall
teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you
rise. You shall bind them
as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You
shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut. 6:6-9)
Along this line of reasoning, we could just
as easily spend time reading over coffee,
reading with friends, or reading with family (don’t make this overlong). The
Bible should just be a part of our everyday lives, every day and in every way!
2. Read it Systematically—we need to see the whole picture
Let me start to
explain our need for systematic Bible reading by using the ancient Indian fable
of the Six Blind Men and the Elephant.
As the fable goes, a group of six blind men heard that a
strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of
them were aware of its form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect
and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out,
and when they found it they groped about it.
In the case
of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said: "This being is
like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed
like a kind of fan. Another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said,
the elephant is a pillar like a tree trunk. The blind man who placed his hand
upon its side said, "elephant is a wall". Another who felt its tail described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that
which is hard, smooth, and like a spear.
So, which one was right? All of them were right as far as
they went but were also very wrong in describing the whole of the elephant.
The same is true when we read only our favorite parts of the Bible—we can make
wrong assumptions as to the entire plan of God and even the character of God
himself.
On a humorous
note, there is an elephant joke which inverts the story in the following way:
Six
blind elephants were discussing what men were like. After arguing they decided
to find one and determine what it was like by direct experience.
The
first blind elephant felt the man and declared, 'Men are flat.'
After
the other blind elephants felt the man, they agreed.
Another analogy
in favor of a systematic reading of the scripture is that of a nutritionally balanced diet. In
our spiritual diet, we need balanced
nutrition, not just a single-item diet. We need to read from all parts of
the Bible without leaving anything out. As Christians, we tend to avoid the Old
Testament except for the Psalms and Proverbs. In the coming weeks, I hope to
touch on how the Bible all fits together and the different types of literature
you will find in the Bible. Jesus Christ is recorded as quoting from at least
24 Old Testament books including Exodus (7x), Isaiah (8x), Deut. (10x), and
Psalms (11x). He broadly taught the two disciples on the road to Emmaus,
And beginning with Moses
and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the
things concerning himself…
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the
Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:27, 44)
3. Read it Quickly—
There are some aspects of the Scriptures
that we will only see when we read quickly (approx. 10 pages a day). Reading through
the whole Bible is not really that hard when we learn to read it quickly to catch the major themes and
repeated emphases. I confess that there was a time when I got burned out on “Bible reading plans” because I was trying to read quickly as
though I was reading slowly. I tried to read large sections while paying attention to each expository detail. Each day that I failed to finish the
assigned reading, it added to my sense of failure and guilt and increased my burden to try to catch
up.
One good way to “read
quickly” without falling behind is by using a Bible app like Bible Gateway.com
or YouVersion to read the Bible translation of your choice to you as you drive,
walk, work out, etc. However, while good
for quickly covering chapters and books in a few minutes, there is much we miss
if we only read quickly. So, even while reading quickly, we need to regularly "land the plane" for a closer look.
4. Read it Slowly—Take time to read the Bible very slowly,
perhaps even one verse or paragraph at a time, allowing time for pondering,
thinking, and meditating on what it reveals about God, his plan, and your part participating in that plan. This may involve taking notes, diagraming sentences, and going all Sherlock Holmes on the passage
(observation), not Carnac the Magnificent
(it is not a guessing game or jumping to conclusions). It is here that as we develop our observational skills and meditate on what the text actually says, we can grow in our joy and respond more fully to the love of God revealed in the text of the Bible.
5. Read it Prayerfully—The Bible is a
spiritual book and we should not presume to read it without asking the Holy
Spirit to speak to us through it. Soon after the Reformation, when people were
first able to read the Bible for themselves, Philip Jacob Spener (1675) wrote
about how Christians should approach reading the Bible, “They should not take the Scriptures into their hands without sincere
prayer for the grace of the Holy Spirit, nor without the purpose to admit into
their hearts His working and power, and they should not stop with the mere
knowledge, but should obediently apply what they have learned to God’s glory.”
(p. 274) The Priesthood of Believers in 70 FAQs. The spiritual nature of the Bible
also can be seen in the ministry of Jesus,
Then he opened their minds to
understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should
suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance
for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to
all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And
behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the
city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:45-49)
What did Jesus say that the Holy Spirit
would do once Jesus sent him? Read the following passages in the Gospel of John
for the answer:
- John 14:26
- John 15:26
- John 16:12-15
Here is a
sample prayer to pray as we come to read our Bible: Lord God,
Open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what you
are saying…
Search me and know me, see if there is any sinful
way in me…lead me…
Quicken my heart to respond to your love and share
it with others...
Strengthen my hands to do the work to which you
send me.
6. Read it Expectantly—
When we come to read the Bible, we should expect it to make a difference in our
lives. Psalm 19:7-11 uses several synonyms to describe the Bible and speaks of
the transforming benefits it contains,
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
8the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than
gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant
warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Did you catch all
that this passage tells us about God’s Word and its 8-9 transforming aspects?
- Don’t come
wondering if Jesus has anything to say to you. Expect it.
- Don’t come
doubting the spiritual nature of the Word to transform your life!
- The Bible speaks
of Jesus so look for the Lord to meet with you, to speak to you, as you read
the Bible, and even more so as you read it in community with others!
- The will of God is
best discerned in community ("many counselors", etc. Pro. 11:14; 15:22; 20:18; 24:5-6).
7. Read
it with a Teachable or Coachable Heart— To benefit from the Bible, we must not
only read it, but we need to be willing to learn from it.
After helping coach youth baseball,
basketball, and soccer teams over the years, I have seen that there are at
least three kinds of players. They include…
- The
naturally gifted one who thinks he/she knows everything and doesn’t
listen to anything you as a coach try to instill in them.
- The status quo player who nods their head and agrees with everything you say but then implements nothing that you said.
Perhaps they really do agree but are too lazy to put in the work necessary to re-learn
their skill, strategy, attitude, etc.
- The rare
player who appreciates the coach’s taking time to invest in them, who listens carefully and then does their best
to apply that coaching to their game, even inviting further feedback. This is
the kind of player that makes coaching worthwhile. I would rather have one of
these than two naturally talented players.
How well do we
listen to God speak through the Word by his Spirit? Which kind of person are
we?
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you
have eternal life; and it is they
that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have
life. (John 5:39-40)
I hope this simple
list of seven ways to read the Bible proves to be practical and inspirational
for you, your family, your friends, and your neighbors!
The
Psalms have provided the language of worship for God’s people for thousands of
years. As we have seen, they express the whole range of human emotions (rising out
of a diverse set of circumstances) and process those emotions through the
character of the Lord. 
May
we not gather primarily for a football game or turkey and potatoes and pie, but
to celebrate the faithfulness of God and to share his goodness with our family
and friends.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
